《我明白》-[w.jh]

[16: fall]

One month.

One month, before an answer arrived.

Seoyul had snatched the letter from the postbox when her eyes fell on the familiar red seal on the envelope. As soon as Seori left the house, she had eagerly ripped apart the envelope, almost tearing the letter in her excitement.

There it was, stated clearly in black and white. Everything was done. Her forever would now begin. The authorities would never be able to snatch her away from Jun's arms.

However, she didn't go to Jun's apartment until one week later, after she had found all the other twelve people whose souls she'd taken and returned them.

She slipped the key she had taken from his drawer out of her pocket and opened the door, stepping inside the place she hadn't visited for more than a month. She dashed to Jun's side, grabbing the last and final violet jar from her duffel bag. Carefully so as not to break it, she unscrewed the lid and watched as the sparkles gradually floated out of the jar and towards Jun's still and rather lifeless body.

Seoyul waited until all the sparkles had left the jar and faded away, before she tentatively placed her hand over Jun's heart. No heartbeat. Maybe he would take a while before he woke up, and Seoyul didn't mind waiting.

Waiting, however, seemed to be even more torturous than waiting for the other twelve before him.

Seoyul had busied herself with tidying his house, after it hadn't been cleaned for the past month. She spent hours mopping the floor till it was almost spotless and wiping pretty much every bit of furniture Jun had in the apartment.

And yet, Jun never stirred once.

Even after she had finished eating whatever instant ramyeon he had remaining in the cupboard, he still never moved.

She was slowly losing hope that Jun would wake up. But she stayed up the entire night, fervently wishing, hoping that he would reclaim consciousness the next day.

Jun's body was still, unmoving, even when morning came.

Seoyul felt a tear fall. She was tired, disappointed, and very, very, very heartbroken.

I killed him.

It was all my fault.

If only I hadn't listened to him...

I'm really a murderer then...

Jun, I'm so, so sorry...I've murdered our chance at happiness...I murdered you.

The violet jar shattered into smithereens.

She got up from the floor, facing his peaceful face. He was probably in a better place now, not stuck in this world where killers like her existed.

"I'm sorry..."

She didn't know what else to say.

"Please forgive me...punish me if you want..."

Seoyul wiped her tears and stared at the sky, which was turning cloudy.

"It doesn't matter. She'll end me anyway. Even if you woke up, there might be a chance I would have never been with you...and I made that promise to you, so I won't die...yet."

She remembered what Jun had told her about something in the drawers.

Pulling it open and prying the box's lid, she broke down when she saw what was inside.

A diamond ring.

Simple, but the meaning was evident.

Seoyul gently slid the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand. It wasn't on her left like Jun would have wanted it to be, but it wasn't as if he was here to put it on for her.

She was about to leave before she turned around.

She brushed away some stray hairs on his face before leaning in and kissing his cold, lifeless lips.

"I'll see you in the afterlife...I guess."

And she ran out of the house, fumbling with the key as she locked the door behind her, and dashing out onto the streets just as the first drops of rain fell. Then it poured, and just as well, since no one would be able to see the hot tears falling from her face.

Seoyul ran, drenched in the rain, towards the only other place besides Jun's apartment that would provide her solace. Her own house was no longer safe for her, not when her very own sister could be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the prime moment to jump on her and end her life as brutally as she could.

She fell, finally, onto a red doormat at the front of a pristine mansion. Raising a weary hand towards the door, she knocked weakly at it three times, before collapsing into a heap on the doormat.

The door opened slowly, and someone's head peeked through. "Yullie?"

"Please," Seoyul begged.

The door opened wider, and revealed a well-dressed man. "What happened to you? Why are you out in the rain like this?"

"Long story...please let me in."

The man pursed his lips as he slowly lifted Seoyul up from the floor. "Let's get you inside."

a/n
another update...this is just the start, honestly, the story isn't going to end just yet
hope you enjoyed!